Naboreal
by C. Theron Vulpin
Summary: Twilight and Spike join Star Swirl's daughter Nyx in exploring the worlds Star Swirl created to teach key principles of Writing and find themselves in the last chapter of a madpony's tale of betrayal, revenge, and restitution.
1. Chapter 1

**Ponyville**

"Special derp-livery!"

Twilight Sparkle looked up from her reading with confusion and then went to answer the familiar but unexpected call at her door. "Derpy?" she asked as she opened the door, "Are you ok? You look exhausted."

"Heavier than it looks," the blond delivery-mare said, indicating the box sitting next to her. It was made of wood and marked with words like "dangerous contents" and "handle with care." In a corner of one side, Twilight found a label informing her that the box had originated from Appleoosa.

"Oh, I think I know what this could be," Twilight said, levitating the box up and finding that it was a good deal heavier than its small size would suggest, "Uh, maybe. Can I get you a drink or something Derpy?"

"That sounds nice," Derpy said dreamily, following Twilight inside.

"Spike!" Twilight called, "fetch our guest a cup of water please." As Spike called back his acknowledgment from the back room, Twilight set the box on the central table and pulled off the lid. Inside were several layers of various packing materials surrounding a thick blanket of woven buffalo hair which was wrapped around a heavy metal box held closed with a magical seal. Twilight extracted the metal box and set it on the table with an impressive thud.

"What's that?" Spike commented as he jogged across the room to give Derpy her drink.

"We'll see in a moment," Twilight said in eager anticipation as she applied the counter-spell to the locking seal. The box popped open and Twilight let out a small giggle of amusement at the contents. Derpy and Spike both came over to look and saw a normal-looking book with a sturdy brown cover with single word, _Aitran_, written on it. Spike raised an eye-ridge while Derpy just looked confused.

"It's a book," the wall-eyed mare said, "I don't get it."

"It's a… rather special book," Twilight said, levitating the tome out of the box and sending it and some of the packing material aside, "don't worry about it."

"Ok Twilight," Derpy said brightly, "Thanks for the water." She turned to go, but before she reached the door she stopped and gave herself a rap on the head. "Almost forgot, I got another package for you." She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a thick rectangular item wrapped in brown paper. "I have no idea where it came from," she announced after Twilight took it, "but the postage was paid and it has your name and address on it. See ya." She smiled and flew out of the library, almost hitting her head on the doorframe as she exited.

"Why are you getting Aitran books in the mail?" Spike asked, going over and opening the linking book to confirm it was genuine, "Does that Star Swirl expect something from you again?"

"No Spike," Twilight said, yanking the book out of the dragon's hands and setting it down, "That's the book Applejack's cousin Braeburn found out in the San Palomino Desert last month and wound up sending himself and two buffalo into. I'm going to send it to Princess Celestia to lock up in the Archives so we don't have a repeat of that particular incident."

"Another repeat you mean," Spike muttered. Twilight ignored him and unwrapped her second package, which turned out to be a small book gilded with the title _Materan_ and an accompanying letter, written in a practiced, meticulous script that Twilight recognized instantly

'_Twilight, my dear friend,_' it read,

'_I thought I should tell you about recent events in my family's life. We have decided to abandon the world of Aitran and live elsewhere: Equestria. To be more precise, we have built ourselves a home just outside the land of Equestria itself, and we have named the property Materan in honor of one of the leaders of the Moiety. (They are doing quite well for themselves in Tay, although they were looking to expand outside their original settlement the last I heard.)_

_Don't worry yourself over the ramifications of me leaving the virtually timeless Aitran to return to a world where I should have died nearly a thousand years ago, as it seems Time is content to let me live on like any normal pony._

_I've sent you something Clover has recently discovered in her own experiments: a Linking Book that can transport you to a certain location even when you are in the same world. Specifically, this one will be able to bring you to Materan, and we have one here that links to a park in Canterlot. Consider the gift an open invitation to you and your friends to visit us whenever you want._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Star Swirl._'

"Oh my," Twilight said, opening the book and turning the pages in quick but careful manner. Each page was covered, with nearly no margins, in an Old Equestrian script that was nearly geometrical and a single half-page sketch near the middle, both indicative features of the strange magical books that could transport a pony to new and strange worlds entirely separate from Equestria. The very idea that such a thing was even possible had been hidden for nearly a millennium until Twilight had come upon one such book - linking to the world Star Swirl had taken himself and his discoveries to - tucked away in the Royal Archives for extremely rare and valuable books. On the final page, Twilight found the last and most important clue to the book's purpose: a rectangular panel enchanted to provide a true-to-life, moving aerial image of the destination, which seemed to be a network of round, roofed pavilions built into the end of a short canyon over a strong-looking river.

Spike picked up the letter from Star Swirl and read it for himself. "Heh, I knew it," he said with a teasing smirk, "He does want something from you. I was just focused on the wrong package."

"Oh Spike, it's just an invitation," Twilight chided good-naturedly.

"Are you going to take him up on it?" the dragon asked, "I don't think we have anything _pressing_ on the schedule today."

"Hm," Twilight said, thinking, "Well, it would probably be polite to drop in real quick just to let them know we got the book."

"Ok then, I'm coming with you," Spike said with determination.

"Spike," Twilight said, surprised.

"No, don't try to talk me out of it Twilight," the baby dragon said, "I've had to sit back and worry about you winking around through books like this twice already, so I think it's high time I got to go with you. And I kinda want to meet Star Swirl and see if he's really all that," he added with some meekness.

"All right," Twilight relented with a chuckle, "This should just be a quick trip, but let's lock up and leave a note in case somepony comes by while we're gone."

In short order, Twilight had written out a short letter which she hoped would clue her friends in to her location without revealing too much to anypony not in the know. Outside of the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the Princesses, and a segment of the Royal Guard, no one in Equestria knew that the ancient unicorn scholar Star Swirl the Bearded was still alive, thanks to his manipulation of the flow of time inside his book worlds, let alone that Linking Books and alternate realities existed. The letter was pinned to the front door, which had been locked along with all but one window (in case a certain cyan pegasus absolutely had to get in), and the sign declaring the library's availability to the public had been taken down. After receiving a brief spark of inspiration, Twilight had put on her saddlebags and placed the Aitran book from Appleoosa into them, realizing it would probably be even more secure with Star Swirl than in the Royal Archives. That ancient vault was vast, and she'd only found the copy of Aitran it contained by lucky chance, but adding a second copy would increase the odds of some other seeker of lost knowledge would stumble upon and use the link.

"Are we ready yet?" Spike asked, bouncing slightly with anticipation.

"I think so," Twilight said, taking one last look around, "You want to go first?"

Spike hesitated, looking at the linking panel of the book on the table before him. "Um…" he said.

"Let's go together," Twilight said, levitating him onto her back, "This'll be a good experiment anyway. I've never tried linking with somepony touching me." Before Spike could fully voice his shocked objection to the idea, Twilight raised a hoof and touched it to the moving panel. A faint buzzing hum filled the air as the world faded away around her into a brief black void.

* * *

**Materan**

When reality reasserted itself around Twilight, she was presented with a view she hadn't been expecting. She was standing on the edge of a roofed patio gazing out over a desert plain with wind-sworn stone hills in the near distance creating a breathtaking vista. The floor under her hooves was tiled in a simple but artistic pattern and the roof seemed to be a mosaic of colored glass. Tall, leafy green houseplants stood on either side of her, providing a contrast to the view outside. After taking in her first impression of the area, Twilight realized she didn't feel Spike's weight on her back. _Ok, so you can't piggyback on somepony else's Linking,_ she thought, _I hope he didn't get hurt when I vanished from underneath him._ She heard the sound of a door opening behind her and started to turn around. As she did so, Spike materialized and landed in an awkward side-saddle position on her back, startling them both as well as the pony who had emerged onto the patio from behind one of the houseplants.

The newcomer was a unicorn mare with a light mahogany coat and a blue-black mane held back in a long braid, and she was wearing a simple red dress that reached nearly to the floor in the back. "Oh," she said, recovering from her surprise and smiling warmly, "Welcome. Did you enjoy the view? I told Star Swirl to make the linking books point visitors toward those hills when they arrive. They're beautiful in the sunlight."

"It is rather nice," Twilight said, letting Spike slide off her back before stepping closer to the mare, "It's good to see you again Clover." She gestured to the small purple dragon at her side and said, "This is Spike, my number one assistant. Spike, meet Clover. She's Star Swirl's wife."

"It's an honor to meet you Lady Clover," Spike said, bowing regally.

Clover giggled at the display. "Likewise Spike; I'm pleased you welcome you to my home, but please, just Clover will do." To Twilight, she whispered conspiratorially, "Is he always so polite?"

"Only when he's trying to impress somepony," Twilight muttered back with a wry smirk.

"I see," Clover said, "We were about to have lunch. You should join us."

"Oh, thanks but no thanks," Twilight said, "We don't want to impose. We just came to let you know we got the book."

"It's no problem," Clover said, "Besides, you'll have to go through Star Swirl to get to the book back to Canterlot, and I know he and Nyx won't let you go without a conversation at the least."

Twilight sighed, but with a small smile on her face. "All right, lead the way."

* * *

The Materan estate was composed of two groups of round metal huts built onto opposite sides of the river canyon and connected by a single, central bridge. The patio Twilight and Spike had appeared on was on the side devoted to work and studies, while the living areas were on the other side. There were two doors leading off the patio, and the one Clover led them through opened into a greenhouse filled with strange plants that Clover said she'd brought in from Tay as an experiment. Past that was another greenhouse containing a more familiar array of food plants – carrots, celery, tomatoes, hay, and so forth – with several of the glass panes in the walls and roof designed to open to allow a comfortable breeze to blow through. In the center, on a patch of lawn obviously made for the purpose, a picnic blanket had been spread out and occupied by a grey unicorn stallion and a dark purple unicorn filly as well as a selection of food. Twilight instantly recognized the filly as Nyx from her cutie mark of an open book surrounded by swirling stars, light blue vest, and intense teal eyes that brightened slightly with recognition as she saw Twilight enter.

As for the stallion, Twilight had to do a double-take before she recognized him as Star Swirl the Bearded. His long tell-tale beard had been nearly cut away leaving only a small brush on his chin, and he had apparently taken to wearing a pair of half-moon spectacles. His wide-brimmed wizard's hat was missing, and the robe he wore lacked the bells along the hem. He seemed oblivious to Twilight's shock as he got up and came over to give clover a peck on the cheek and then grab Twilight in a hug that surprised her even further. "Ah Twilight, what a pleasant surprise. You got my package I see."

"Star Swirl," Twilight managed to squeak out, breaking through her shock enough to speak, "You've… changed."

"That I have my friend," Star Swirl said with a laugh, "I wasn't too keen on the idea at first, but Clover and Princess Celestia managed to convince me it was best I adopt a different style so that I won't be so easily recognized by other ponies. I would rather not have to explain why I'm doing something other than being dead. And you," he added, looking at Spike, "you would be Spike I presume?"

"Uh yeah," the baby dragon said, "How did you know?"

"The Princesses mentioned you once or twice," Star Swirl answered, "Now come, sit down and eat with us."

Not feeling up to arguing about it twice, Twilight nodded and followed Star Swirl to the picnic blanket.

Nyx's eyes grew wider as she saw Spike approach, and she bounded forward with a squeal to land right in front of him. "Oh my gosh, you're a dragon, aren't you?" she exclaimed, and then remembered herself long enough to add a quick, "Hello Twilight," as an aside before going back to excitedly studying Spike. "I've heard about dragons, but I've never seen one before. Aren't you supposed to be bigger? Are you just a baby dragon? What's your… waaaait a minute." She turned and gave Star Swirl a suspicious look. "Father," she said, "you planned this didn't you? Well, I refuse to be distracted." She turned around smartly and walked back to the picnic blanket with her nose in the air.

"What," Spike said in flat bewilderment.

"Nyx, what has gotten into you?" Clover asked.

"It seems our little filly has become quite skilled at sneaking into place she shouldn't," Star Swirl said, trying to sound disapproving despite the slight smile on his face, "She got into my study and discovered where I hid _I'strukun_."

"It was right out in the open," Nyx said, "on the shelf between _Rime_ and _Baseli_. That's not hidden."

"I'strukun? Rime?" Twilight asked with interest, "Have you Written some new worlds Star Swirl?"

"No," the old scholar said, "I haven't found the will to attempt that again. They are two other Linking Books that survived the disaster on Aitran. I was on Rime when my apprentices began their destructive behavior, and they left it alone because of that."

"Both books were among those Cirrus and Archeon were forbidden to use without permission even after Father gave them full access to the others," Nyx added, "Or at least, I figured they were because they were kept with books like Sohndar in Father's private cavern."

"So, what's the big deal with I'strukun?" Spike asked, "is it dangerous?"

"No," the filly said, rolling her eyes, "It's the first step for learning how to Write new worlds. And I think I'm ready to take those lessons!"

"That's for your father to decide Nyx," Clover scolded, and then looked at her husband and said, "She's still too young."

"Moooom," Nyx whined.

"Nyx, my little star," Star Swirl said gently, "Even if you were ready, I don't know if the Lesson Worlds are."

Nyx stared at her father in dumb shock. "If I _were_ ready?" she said, "Father, when you sent _them_ through the Lesson Worlds, you told me I'd be ready when I had my cutie mark! Well, I've got it now, and I survived in Sohndar as well! How can I not be ready now?"

"Nyx," Star Swirl said, trying to placate her.

The little filly wasn't having any of it though. "Don't!" she shouted, "I get it! You don't want me Writing books! Never mind that's what my cutie mark means!" She bolted out of the greenhouse, crying loud, frustrated tears as she vanished across the bridge into the dormitory area.

"Oh dear," Clover said, "I'll go talk to her."

"Let her be for a moment love," Star Swirl said, putting a hoof on Clover's shoulder, "Twilight, Spike, I'm sorry you had to see that."

Twilight dragged a hoof through the grass, feeling awkward. "Maybe we should just go," she said at last, "Come back when things have cooled down?"

"Of course," Star Swirl said, "You're always welcome here. Come with me; I'll take you to the link back to Canterlot." He led Twilight and Spike back to the patio, and from there he went through the second door into a study. A couple of tapestries depicting important events in Star Swirl's life hung on the back wall, and all of the furniture had been set up on the end closest to the door, leaving a large empty space to the left. The desk held some framed charcoal portraits of Clover, Nyx, and Cirrus and Archeon, much to Twilight's surprise, as well as a few sheets of paper and an ink well. On the wall were shelves holding a number of books, only a couple of which Twilight recognized.

Seeing the books reminded Twilight of the one in her bag, and she got it out and held it out to Star Swirl. "Here's the Aitran book that fell into the desert a while back," she said, "It came to me in the mail the same time I got your package."

"Ah, thank you," the old stallion said taking the book, "it will be good to know Aitran Island won't be getting anymore unexpected guests. Especially ones as big as that buffalo, Thunderhooves. I still count myself lucky no others like him showed up, or the library would have likely burst apart." Twilight giggled at the mental image.

"It certainly caused a lot of chaos when he, Braeburn, and Little Strongheart vanished, only to turn up in the middle of Princess Celestia's throne room a few hours later," Spike said, "When they sent the book to us it was packaged up like some kind of toxic material."

Star Swirl chuckled a bit, but then grew somber as he put the book on a shelf. "A lot of pain and trouble can be caused by these linking books," he said, "especially when I see the damage Cirrus and Archeon caused to mine. The Forestsea is starting to recover, but Baseli and the Fortress are beyond my ability to help. I haven't been able to find the nerve to go into I'strukun and the worlds beyond it, out of fear that I may find much worse than an empty fortress or desolate, sinking rocks."

"Is that why you don't want to let Nyx go there?" Twilight asked.

"Until I can be sure the worlds are still safe to travel to and the puzzles still operational, no," Star Swirl said, "but, if I were to confirm my fears… I'm not sure spirit could take it. They are among my finest work."

"Sounds like you need to send somepony else," Spike said, "Somepony smart and brave enough to work her way through anything your crazy book-worlds can throw at her."

Twilight quirked an eyebrow and looked down at Spike. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just making a suggestion," Spike said, feigning innocence.

"I must admit," Star Swirl mused to himself, "The thought of asking for help had crossed my mind, but I shouldn't lay that one you. You've done enough favors for me as it is Twilight." He levitated a book with a white cover and golden filigree on the spine from the shelf and set it on the desk, open to a linking panel showing a park in Canterlot. "There is your way home my friends," he said, "Until next time."

Twilight nodded and started to reach out to the book, but before her hoof touched the panel she paused. "I'm always willing to help a friend Star Swirl," she said, "So, maybe, if it's ok with you, I'd like to go to I'strukun." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a smirk of triumph on the corners of Spike's mouth.

"I… I'd appreciate that Twilight," Star Swirl said, "Come back tomorrow; there are some things I need to find so that you won't be going in blind."

Twilight nodded and then looked down at Spike. "See you tomorrow then," she said, "Let's go Spike."


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast and a flurry of last-minute preparations and excessive checklisting, Twilight and Spike left the Ponyville library in the hooves of Rarity and Fluttershy and took the Link to Materan. Star Swirl was waiting for them on the patio and ushered them into his study once they had gotten their bearings.

"Hey, quick question," Spike said, "Is there any way to get in and out of this place _without_ using a book?"

"Yes," Star Swirl answered simply, and then took note of the saddlebags Twilight was wearing, each looking near to fully packed. "May I ask what's in those bags?"

"Well, I wasn't sure what we'd be likely to encounter," Twilight said, "so I made sure to pack plenty of nice sturdy notebooks, some pencils, and food to last me and Spike for a day or two. Is it too much?"

"I tried to talk her out of it," Spike said in a weary tone, "I mean, there's a way for us to get bail out if we need to, right?"

"Technically yes," Star Swirl said, taking a couple of books out of his desk, "It would take you to Aitran though, not back here. That's one of the tasks I have for you on top of looking around: find the Aitran book in I'strukun, assuming it's still intact, and replace it with a Materan book I'll give to you."

"What are the other tasks?" Twilight asked.

"Just one other," the stallion replied, "I spoke with Nyx about your offer yesterday, and after some discussion I agreed to let her accompany you. If the Lesson Worlds seem to be unmolested, then she will undertake the challenges they pose. Allow her to take the lead on solving the puzzles and try to help her discover the principles each world exemplifies on her own."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Twilight asked, "I don't know the answers any more than she does."

Star Swirl laughed and levitated the books to her. The bottom book was a copy of _Materan_ while the one on top was smaller, hoof-bound, and looked more like a journal. "I recorded my impressions on each Lesson World as I developed them for use, and each entry concludes with the lesson I wanted the world to impress on attentive visitors. Let it guide you in identifying anything that's broken or in overseeing Nyx's journey. Don't let her know you have it; she's a good girl, but won't hesitate to use every shortcut she can find."

"I get you," Twilight said, taking the books and stowing them carefully in her bags, "That's something most colts and fillies have in common."

"I suppose you are right," Star Swirl said, "Nyx should still be getting ready, so why don't you get a start on reading?" Twilight nodded and went over to the far side of the study, laying down as she brought out the journal and began reading.

She managed to read through the entry on I'strukun when there was a knock at the study door followed by Nyx nudging it open and walking in, wearing a saffron-colored vest with pockets and a saddlebag that looked far less packed than Twilight's own. Her attention was focused on Star Swirl, so Twilight surreptitiously put the journal away before standing up and walking back to the desk. "Morning Twilight," the filly said in a cheerful tone that betrayed her excitement at what lay ahead, "You… look ready." She eyed Twilight bulging saddlebags with some amusement, causing Twilight to chuckle in embarrassment.

"I guess I am," she said, "How about you Spike? Still coming with us?"

"Of course," the baby dragon replied promptly.

"Very well then," Star Swirl said, removing a book from his shelf and setting it on the desk in front of the gathered trio, opened to the linking panel on the final page, "Have a safe journey. With luck, you should be able to finish the course by the end of the day."

* * *

**_I'strukun_**

_I Wrote this world with the intention of finding a place to serve as a central hub from which the four Lesson Worlds could be accessed, but I did not expect to find it already perfectly suited to my needs, or nearly so. While I worked on the finishing touches – mainly cleaning and repairing worn-out machinery and configuring the illusion viewer and locks in the central tower – I failed to find any evidence of the people who had built the vaults into the island's tusk-like towers and given the disrepair of the various locking mechanisms I think it's highly unlikely anything will be stopping by to protest my use of their property._

_This island I have dubbed I'strukun would make a tiring place to live on without wings, as it seems to be mostly made of cliffs and giant boulders with ladders and stairs carved into them, fully encircling a low freshwater pond from which the central "tusk" rises to a dominating height. It is a small island, and impossible to get lost on._

_Part of me worries that I'strukun is __too__ perfect as a hub world, but nothing has ever gone wrong there and so I ignore those thoughts._

* * *

Nyx was the first to arrive on I'strukun, followed by Twilight and finally Spike. They found themselves on the flat top of a rock next to a short lantern with three glass lenses and a big red glass ball set in the top. To their right was a tall, dark monolith of a rock and directly ahead was a metal bridge that led around to the right. A sandy beach was visible close by and below the group's current level, and the sound of the ocean's surf filled the air. In the far distance, they could see what appeared to a gargantuan white tusk rising up out of a cliff, along with some of the trail they'd need to take to reach it and another lamppost. To the left was another short bridge to much larger rock from which a second tusk jutted into the air. To the right, just visible past the towering monolith, was a third tusk tucked into cliffs that seemed to plunge below sea level, and a couple more lampposts could be seen at certain highpoints along the trails there.

"Ok, let's get started," Nyx said, trotting off almost immediately toward the nearest tusk-tower.

"Hold on a second Nyx," Twilight said, grabbing the filly's tail in a light magic grip, "We should come up with a plan first, a way to search the island quickly for damage or trouble. Once we get that out of the way you can put all your focus on the Lesson Worlds."

"Ok," Nyx said, "I'm listening."

"I think we should each check out one of the tusks," the lavender unicorn said, "If Cirrus and Archeon destroyed anything, those would probably be the most likely spots to have things worth destroying."

Spike had wandered over the railing at the edge of the rock and was looking at something past the rough monolith. "Twilight," he said, "There's a tower right over here. I'd be willing to bet the old exit book we're supposed to replace will be in there somewhere."

Twilight went over to take a look and saw a fourth tusk-like spire crowned with a round building made of red metal with a ring of windows just below the gently curved roof and what seemed to be a bubble-shaped window on the side. "That sounds like a reasonable guess to me Spike," she said, "Would you mind handling that, and then you can investigate the tusk over that way." She indicated the first tusk.

"Sure thing Twi," the dragon said, holding out a hand to accept the Materan book Twilight levitated over to him. As he walked away, he heard Twilight ask Nyx to investigate the closest tusk while she would go around to the final one. The bridge led him around the corner of the monolith and out of sight of the mares and then right up to the base of a ladder set into the side of another tall rock. He couldn't see the tower from this position, but he guessed he'd find a way into the building from the top of the ladder, and so he carefully gripped the book against his back with his tail in order to free up his hands and started climbing. He only made it a couple of rungs up when something peered out over the edge and gave Spike pause. The dragon blinked and rubbed his eyes in disbelief and when he opened them again the figure was gone. "That was weird," he said to himself, "Coulda sworn I just saw Pinkie Pie. But she couldn't possibly be here, could she?"

* * *

"I don't think you'll want to go this way Twilight," Nyx said after the two had crossed the bridge toward the nearest tusk, "There doesn't seem to be any other paths off this rock."

Twilight looked around and found that she had to agree. She could see a number of stairs leading up and over other rocks between her and her intended destination, and a bridge farther along that seemed to lead almost to the tusk, but in order to reach the trail she'd either have to jump off the rock she was on – a fall of at least ten feet into the water by her estimate – or find another way down. As she turned to leave, however, Nyx raised a hoof to ask her to wait.

"Let's get a few things straight," the filly said, "I'm only here to take the lessons this world and the others offer, and I know the only reason Father is letting me is because you're here to babysit me."

"Nyx, I'm not going to-" Twilight started to protest.

"Eh eh eh," Nyx cut in, "I'm not holding it against you, and I don't mind having company, but don't try holding my hoof through this. I want you to promise me you'll let me take the lead when we get around to visiting the other worlds, and if you figure something before I do don't tell me unless I'm really, truly stumped."

"I promise Nyx," Twilight said, "I'll stay out of your way."

"Good," Nyx replied, "and in return, I promise not to sneak a peek at the journal Father gave you." She laughed at Twilight's nonplussed reaction and added slyly, "Yeah, I saw you with that book when I came into the study. I figure it's something Father gave you to help you figure out if anything we find is broken, and that means it probably has all the answers. I'm going to do this course right, with no cheating."

"I'm glad to hear it," Twilight said, "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's cheating on a test."

All of a sudden, a loud cry sounded from the direction of the central tusk, a cry that pierced Twilight through the heart with icy fear. "_TWILIIIIGHT! HELP ME!_"

"Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, and she and Nyx charged across the bridges between them and where the scream had originated. Twilight hardly paused when she came upon the ladder rungs set into the rock at the end of the path, instead wrapping herself in a levitation field and all but rocketing upwards. When she touched down on the top of the rock, she saw a strangely familiar-looking pony kicking her little assistant the last foot or so across a bridge and into the red building on the top of the central tusk before galloping in herself and slamming the door shut. "Pinkie?" Twilight muttered in a brief moment of confusion, but then shook it off and ran across the bridge to the door. The handle turned easily in her magic grip, but the door itself refused to budge, and through a small round window she could see a second door which also had a window, providing her a very small and slightly fish-eyed view of the room beyond. She could see the pink pony pacing impatiently on the far side of what looked to be a fenced pit in the middle of the room, but there was no sign of Spike.

"Twilight, what happened?" Nyx asked breathlessly. Twilight turned around to see the young unicorn pulling herself up onto the rock from the ladder.

"Spike's been kidnapped," Twilight said, fretting, "I don't see the book back to Materan anywhere, so the kidnapper might have that too, and I can't get this door open!" She blasted the door with a bolt of pure magic from her horn, but it just splashed off harmlessly. "Gah, seriously? Open up!" She spun around and gave the door as solid a kick as she could, but didn't leave so much as a dent in the metal. Seething with frustration, Twilight finally resorted to furiously knocking on the door, shouting, "Spiiike!"

"Twilight," Nyx said, trying to get her attention, "This isn't working." The lavender unicorn didn't seem to register her statement, so she spoke up louder, "We should look for another way in!"

"Another way?" Twilight asked incredulously, "what makes you think there's another way in?"

"Because there usually _is_," Nyx said, rolling her eyes, "That's how Father is about these things: he makes sure there's always a way to get through or around a lock, even if it's not obvious."

Twilight stopped and took a long, calming breath. "Right then," she said, scrutinizing the door and the wall around it, "I… don't see anything noteworthy here."

"There might be a back door," Nyx said, heading back to the ladder. She stopped at the top and frowned down at it, trying to figure out how to get on it from her position. Twilight smiled slightly as she joined the little unicorn, and then picked her up and teleported both of them down, and then went a step farther by teleporting down onto the small sandy beach below the rocks. "Wow," Nyx said as Twilight trotted off to the left, crossing over a shallow tidepool under the bridge between their arrival point and the closest tusk, "That's a neat trick. Uh, can you put me down now?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry," Twilight said, blushing as she realized Nyx was still wrapped in a telekinetic bubble. She climbed up onto a rock that stood between her and the trail leading around the island before setting the filly down.

"It's ok," Nyx said, "but, if you can do that, why didn't you just teleport past the door?"

"I didn't have a good enough view," Twilight answered, pressing on down a set of stairs carved into the rock, "If I can't clearly see or picture my destination, the spell doesn't work." The stairs took them close to the side of the central tusk and onto a bridge leading to a rock platform very close to one of the outer tusks. There was a brown door set into the side of the tower, but a long gap separated it from the platform. "Curious," Twilight muttered before looking around and down. Another bridge led from the platform to a set of stairs heading upward, continuing what was likely to be a very hilly loop trail around the island. Far below, she could see the base of the central tusk, around which had gathered a small lake of water and a little vegetation. What really caught Twilight's eye, however, was the rounded roof of a structure built into the tusk's base. "Well, that should do," Twilight said, "come on Nyx." Leaning over the edge to get a good look at a landing point, she pulled Nyx close and teleported them both down onto a bridge linking the far side of the lake to the building, which seemed to be made mostly of stained glass windows and a metal roof. Without hesitation, Twilight trotted up to the wooden door and pulled it open. Almost immediately after walking inside, she found the way blocked by a metal gate, but to its right was a lever of obvious purpose. The gate swung open to the left, mirrored by another gate a few feet away to allow access to a second door to the outside. The gates were now blocking off an alcove filled with plants that looked like they'd been nibbled on and framing a large button on a short pedestal. Across from the alcove stood a short hallway leading into a larger room inside the tusk-tower itself, but a third gate blocked access to it until Twilight pressed the button and it tilted down to settle into the floor.

As Twilight and Nyx entered the room, the unicorn filly took note of a patchwork hammock hanging between a hook on the right wall and one of the two pillars in the middle of the room which helped to hold up the high roof and supported a C-shaped desk between them. A number of objects sat on the desk and on improvised shelves and end tables lining the right wall, and an unfinished portrait of a pony was painted on the wall on the left. Twilight, however, ignored all of this when she spotted an elevator on the far side of the room. It was shaped like a round booth, kept inside a black metal cage with crisscrossing diagonal bars. "Wait here Nyx," Twilight said, galloping around the room and then around to the backside of the elevator to find the door, "I don't want you getting hurt when I deal with that dragon-napper."

"What? I can help!" Nyx exclaimed, but to no avail. Twilight entered the elevator, slid the door shut behind her, and then located the lever to start it placed outside the booth but accessible through a small window. The cage rotated around the elevator a hundred and eighty degrees, quickly swung back to its original orientation, and then the elevator began to rise. Nyx watched it go with a grumpy pout until it vanished from sight up the shaft. "I'm not helpless," she grumbled to herself.

The elevator ride was quick and smooth, something Twilight was grateful for, but when it reached the top she realized she had a problem. When she slid the door open, she found herself immediately confronted with the door leading out to the upper approach to the central tusk, which was still locked by some mechanism she couldn't see thanks to the elevator blocking it. She was facing the wrong way! At the back of the elevator booth was a round window, which gave her a view of the room she was trying to get to that was only marginally better than before and still not good enough for Twilight to feel safe teleporting. She could see the disturbingly familiar pink pony at the back of the room, standing over a dazed and hog-tied Spike. The pony was looking directly toward Twilight, apparently aware that the elevator had come up. After a second, she smiled in a taunting and creepy manner.

"Think you've caught up to me already, huh?" she asked, and Twilight took an involuntary step back in shock. The stranger sounded as much like Pinkie Pie as she looked, but there was still something off. "Here to take back your little friend?" she asked, giving Spike a light kick, "Or how about your book?" She poked her head under one of her wings – _Wings! That's it! She has bat wings!_ – and pulled out the Materan linking book for a second before tucking it away again. "Not yet I'm afraid," she continued, sauntering over to a tiny table of some sort with a lamp hanging over it at the left side of the pit in the floor. She reached under her wing again and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and placed it on the table, flattening it out with a hoof. The lamp turned on and a gear-shaped ring dropped off the bottom of the table and out of sight and then floated back into place. A moment later, a small golden lattice cage shaped like a pointed flower bud rose out of the pit on the end of a similarly golden post. The bat-winged Pinkie doppelgänger retrieved the paper and stashed it under her wing again, and then looked at the window and said, "If you wanna catch me, better move faster, Star-swirly!"

"Star-swirly?" Twilight mumbled, confused, "does she think I'm…? No, no time to stand around wondering." She looked around and found a green button in the wall outside the elevator's side window, and pressed it. The elevator activated and began taking her back down to the lower room. "I'll be back for you Spike," she said, "Hold on."


	3. Chapter 3

Nyx had begun contemplating the incomplete portrait on the wall when the elevator returned to the room. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the cage the elevator car dropped into spun halfway around and snapped back before Twilight emerged and came around, looking mildly frustrated. "No luck?" Nyx asked in affected boredom. Twilight shook her head and then cast a puzzling look up at the elevator shaft. "I think the elevator is supposed to turn before going up," Nyx continued in the same tone, "There's probably something that needs to be fixed."

"And would you happen to know _what_, Ms. Smarty-pants?" Twilight asked grumpily.

"No," Nyx snapped, "I haven't had much time to look around." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she noticed the pain and worry in Twilight's eyes and felt guilty. "Sorry," she said, "What happened up there? Is Spike ok?"

"She's got him all tied up, but he's alive," Twilight said, walking up to Nyx's side, "She's got the Materan linking book too, and by the way she was talking I think she wants us to try and take them back from her. Ugh, this is…" She trailed off as she got a good look at the portrait on the wall and rubbed her eyes in disbelief. The portrait was of a strong-looking red stallion with a short orange mane, almost life-like in its details except for the fact that the eyes had not been painted in yet, and it gave Twilight a strong sense of déjà vu. "I'm going crazy," she muttered, "First Pinkie Pie and now Big Macintosh!"

Nyx cocked her head to the side. "Huh? You know this pony?"

"I don't, but," Twilight said shakily, "Well, the pony holding Spike looks just like a good friend of mine, and this painting could easily be of another pony I know real well. I wonder why it hasn't been finished yet…"

"Wow," Nyx said, "No wonder you're freaking out. How about you take it easy while I find a way to get that elevator turned around right? See if Father wrote something about it in his journal."

"Hm. I don't remember seeing anything like that," Twilight said as she levitated the journal out of her bag, "but it won't hurt to take a second look." She laid down on the floor next to the wall and set the journal in front of her, opened to the first page of the entry on I'strukun.

Satisfied, Nyx started looking around the room in closer detail. The curved desk held some large items of particular note. First, on the right end, was a crude but effective-looking stone hammer. To the left of that was a tall balancing scale with a black metal ball hanging off one arm while on the other was a small basket containing four balls made of a foggy blue-white glass-like substance. Left of that, near the center of the desk, was a glass tube set into the middle of a spoked gear to keep it upright and two metal wires coming down from the top and connected to item number four: a larger version of the glass ball inside a metal lattice cage and capped with an inverted dish of metal attached to a crank. Nyx gave the crank an experimental turn with her magic and the contraption started to pop and crackle with electricity. Intrigued, she turned the crank faster and soon had a decent current going, judging by the fact that in the glass tube small chips of rock started to rise up and spin around. "Cool," she said, causing Twilight to glance up in curiosity.

"An electromagnet," the lavender pony noted, watching Nyx's demonstration, "and rock that floats in magnetic fields. That is interesting." She watched for a second longer and then went back to her reading. Nyx let go of the crank and continued her investigation. On the left end of the desk, a large snail shell was being used as the pot for a pitcher plant with a thick leaf covering the mouth to prevent any captive insects from escaping. Nyx started to move on, judging the plant to be a simple curiosity, until she noticed there were wines hanging over the edge of the shell's opening, with a particularly long and thick one trailing across the desk to end close to the electromagnet. Overcome with what she would fervently declare "scientific curiosity" if she got called out, she laid the root across the wires coming off the electromagnet and turned the crank. As the electricity started to flow, the leaf covering the pitcher plant jerked up and quivered, and a little black fly caught inside took the lucky break given to it and escaped, buzzing around in circles for a bit before finding its way toward the door. Nyx noted the plant's reaction with silent interest and then moved on.

Three short, hexagonal posts of dark-colored stone of various heights were arranged against the wall between the hammock and the elevator alcove. On the tallest stood another balance scale, this one balancing one of the blue-white glass balls with four wooden balls, and additional balls of both materials lay around the base. _Glass isn't that heavy_, Nyx thought, trying to lift one of the glass balls with her magic, only to find it was heavier than it looked. _Maybe not glass after all_, she mused as she set it down. She then turned to look at the hammock, which had a large, thick green leaf curled up at one end like a blanket or pillow and a book sitting in the middle. As Nyx levitated it, she discovered it wasn't so much a book as the cover of a book with unbound papers stuck inside it, and the cover itself was marked only by a brown pressed leaf. "Hey Twilight," Nyx said, "You having any luck?"

"Not really," Twilight answered, "Star Swirl mentioned having to make some repairs to the elevator, but he seems to have expected it to turn around by default afterward. How about you?"

"I found this," the filly answered, bringing her book over to Twilight. Twilight took it and looked it over critically.

"Shoddy," she concluded, "but it's something at least." She set it down on the ground and flipped it open to the first page. It looked to be a journal, written in Equestrian save for a strange little symbol in the top corner that likely stood in for a date. The writing was amazingly tidy, but the words were slightly disturbing.

_I've done it. I've opened the swirly linking book to take me back home, and I used it. That was a bad idea. Maybe it would've been better to remain lost in the fog, to have died and become one of the ghosts. I arrived to find myself inside the shield, unable to see what I hoped and dreaded to find, and then they came. The voices, calling my name, low and loathsome name, but belonging to nopony I could see._

_Oh Staid, did I hear your voices among them? The voices of the lost. I couldn't dare hope, couldn't stay._

_I was about to give up today, to surrender myself to the fog again. It would have been easy, to let it make me forget, to not care anymore. But then I felt it, that old itch in my wings, the shiver down my spine. He's coming back. Star Swirl. Or maybe _they_ are coming back. Cirrus, Archeon, his students. Devils in pony form._

_I must be mistaken. Why would they come back?_

_I can't deny any longer. It won't go away, that sense that somepony is about to enter my worlds again. Why Star Swirl? Was it not enough that your followers destroyed my home? Tortured me, left me to die! Will it be those two again, come to finish the job? Or maybe you'll come yourself?_

_Ha. Don't delude yourself Margent. He doesn't care. He'll send others. Cirrus, Archeon, new followers maybe? Another generation of Star Swirly betrayers._

_I think not!_

_I still have time, I think. Time to prepare. I will take my revenge on the Star-swirlies, find a way to lure the head in and bring them all down, pay them back for the dead of Naboreal. I've already long since opened his other worlds, and now I've begun to make changes to them and to I'strukun. I'll force them to go through the worlds, make them see what Cirrus and Archeon did to me. Finally I'll lead them to Naboreal, and there…_

_There is much to be done, but for now I'll concentrate on the orbiter. I must try to understand it, and the materials that make it up. They remind me somewhat of the shield. If so, there's nothing I can do to alter it. I may be able to change the other devices though._

This entry was written around little diagrams of things neither Twilight or Nyx could make sense of: sticks, loops, and a large gear on a track.

_I have managed to reconfigure the scanner, but to do so I had to scavenge parts from another mechanism in the tusk. The remaining components should allow it to operate but may need to be configured by hoof._

This was followed by four pictures of gears, counterweights, and similar mechanisms, each in a particular, well-detailed state. Nyx and Twilight contemplated the pictures for a moment, and then exchanged a look. "Wanna bet the kidnapper wrote this?" Nyx asked.

"I can't think of anypony else who could have," Twilight answered, "and it appears she's gone mad with grief thanks to Cirrus and Archeon. We have to get up to her and explain. I'm willing to bet the mechanism she mentioned in this last entry is the elevator. We just need to figure out where she took the parts from."

"There's a space under the elevator," Nyx said, "I'd look there." She trotted around to the back of the elevator alcove without waiting for a response and pulled the lever. The cage did its rotating thing, the elevator was winched up the shaft, and Nyx hopped down into the hole it had vacated. There were four spots where the wall had been broken away to reveal some of the mechanisms underlying the rotating cage. "These look about right," Nyx reported, "Pass me down those pages Twilight; I'll get everything set right." Twilight removed the two pages with the appropriate diagrams, taking a mental note of where they were supposed to be in the journal, and levitated them down into Nyx's waiting hooves, and then sat back and waited, her mind drifting with worry over Spike. She could only hope that she and Nyx were moving quickly enough to stop Margent, assuming that was the Pinkie-double's name, before she did something drastic.

_Although something tells me she's not in a state of mind that can be reasoned with…_

"Ok, I'm – oof – done!" Nyx announced as she pulled herself up out of the hole, "Everything down there matches the pictures, so here's hoping it works." She pulled the lever to bring the elevator down. When the cage whipped back to its resting position, the ponies heard something catch, loudly, and shared a satisfied look. It was a bit of a tight fit for both of them to get into the elevator, but they managed to squeeze in without causing any undue discomfort. Twilight reached out with her magic and pulled the lever, and this time the elevator turned around with the cage and was left facing the opposite direction as the mechanism reset itself and the winch started up.

As soon as the elevator came to a stop, Twilight flung the door aside and found herself confronted with one last door between her and her number one assistant. Through the window she could see that the golden lattice bud in the center of the room had opened up, and the pink bat-winged pony was pressing Spike's snout onto an open book contained within. The dragon vanished from sight in the characteristic manner of Linking Books, and the pink mare quickly followed him, casting a wicked smirk towards Twilight before disappearing. With a wordless cry, Twilight burst through the door and right up to the railing around the pit, reaching out with her magic to grab the book, but to no avail. Before she could form a solid telekinetic grip on the book, the bud-shaped cage closed up and sank down into the pit, while at the same time a short bridge retracted into the floor and covers closed over three lensed devices on the walls. "No!" Twilight cried, tearing up, "Spike!" She sank to the floor dejectedly, staring mournfully down at the book now locked away from her grasp.

"Please don't tell me you're giving up," Nyx said, "It's not over yet; she's backed herself into a corner now. None of the Lesson Worlds have links to anywhere except here in I'strukun."

"Until now," Twilight replied dully, "She took our link back to Materan, remember? What's to stop her from linking there?"

"Well, if she does then my parents will deal with her and then come looking for us," Nyx answered confidently, "but are you just going to sit around moping and waiting for what might or might not happen, or are you going to get up and _do_ something to save Spike and the book?"

Twilight's ears lay flat as the filly's chastisement struck home, and then filled her with renewed resolve. "You're right Nyx," she said, standing up, "I'd probably still be stranded on Aitran with Rainbow Dash right now if I'd just sat around waiting for a rescue, and I've faced down a lot worse than a crazy friend-stealing pony. Let's get to that book."

It took the pair all of ten seconds to find the button that activated the room, located across the gap in the railing from the light table. When Nyx pressed it, the covers on the wall opened up and each of the three devices behind them emitted a beam of colored light up toward the ceiling, converging to form an image of Star Swirl's head.

"Cirrus, Archeon," the image said, "welcome to I'strukun. This world will be your first stop on your journey to learn the secrets of my Writing. Search the island and you'll find three Linking books. Each connects to a world where you…" The voice faded away as the image distorted and was replaced by Margent's face. As Twilight watched the image as it began speaking, she realized that although the pony was remarkably similar to Pinkie Pie in coat, mane, and eye coloring, she had several noticeable differences, mainly the bedraggled and ill-kempt rat's nest of a mane, rather than a deliberately curled mess, and the coldness in her eyes.

The Margent image started out muttering, as if unsure of itself, "Ok, ok, working now… uh… right." She cleared her throat and then looked down at Twilight and Nyx condescendingly and said, "Hello there star-swirlies, do you know who I am? Do you remember? Well let me tell you a little story to remind you. Once upon a time there were two nasty, mean, naughty little colts who came into my home pretending to be friends with great secrets to share and then proceeded to _destroy everything_ that I loved. Your apprentices, Star Swirl the Bearded, Cirrus and Archeon. They took all that I held precious, and now, it's time I returned the favor. I've taken something very important to you; a book, a follower, something you want back very badly. If you do, you'll have to open to this device, but there's one little problem: I've changed the three symbols that do that. So, if you want to catch me, you're going to have to take your own class!" Margent broke down into laughter for a moment at that, appreciating a bit of irony she obviously felt, and then sobered quickly. "Find the three symbols little star-swirlies," she said darkly, "and don't keep me waiting."


End file.
